Megaladapis
a.k.a.‭ ‬Koala Lemur

Name: Megaladapis ‭(‬Big lemur‭)‬.
Phonetic: Meg-ah-lad-ah-pis.
Named By: Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major‭ ‬-‭ ‬1894.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Primates,‭ ‬Strepsirrhini,‭ ‬Lemuriformes.
Species: M.‭ ‬edwardsi,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬madagascariensis,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬grandidieri.
Diet: Herbivore.
Size: Between‭ ‬1.3‭ ‬and‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Madagascar.
Time period: Holocene.
Fossil representation: Several specimens.

       Although known to be a lemur,‭ ‬Megaladapis displays a remarkable similarity to koalas,‭ ‬especially in the hands which are well adapted for grasping the vertical trunks of trees.‭ ‬Despite its large size,‭ ‬Megaladapis is thought to have been an arboreal creature that lived off the ground where it could casually browse upon the vegetation of the tree canopy.‭ ‬However the eyes of Megaladapis were oriented to face out to the sides rather‭ ‬than direct in front and with this in mind it‭’‬s probable that Megaladapis lacked the acute depth perception of other primates.‭ ‬This also infers a more gradual pace of life rather than the fast paced leaping from tree top to tree top that smaller primates are capable of.
       The number one explanation for the extinction of Megaladapis is human activity,‭ ‬particularly habitat destruction from expanses of forest being cleared by fire.‭ ‬Unfortunately this is still happening in parts of the world today with many types of primate becoming endangered because vast expanses of their habitats are being cleared for agriculture and the timber industry.‭ ‬It’s also probable that human hunting also played a factor in the demise of Megaladapis.

Further reading
- On Megaladapis madagascariensis, an Extinct Gigantic Lemuroid from Madagascar; with Remarks on the Associated Fauna, and on Its Geological Age. - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 185: 15–38. - C. I. F. major -1894.
- Extinct Mammalia from Madagascar. I. Megaladapis insignis. - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. 193 (185–193): 47–50. - C. I. Forsyth Major - 1900.
- Inferring primate growth, development and life history from dental microstructure: The case of the extinct Malagasy lemur, Megaladapis. - Dental Perspectives on Human Evolution: State of the Art Research in Dental Paleoanthropology. Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. Netherlands: Springer. pp. 147–162. - G. T. Schwartz - 2007.

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